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Strange Noises from Your Air Conditioning in Washington

Homeowners throughout the metropolitan Washington, DC area depend on their air conditioning systems all summer long to provide high quality cooling performance and energy efficiency. One of the most important aspects of having an AC system is taking care of any necessary repairs. Whether your AC is 5 or 15 years old, delaying repairs only exacerbates the problem, and make lead to major damages, if left alone to develop. If your air conditioning system makes strange noises, it’s best to get it looked at now than to wait for it break down in August. For comprehensive air conditioning repair in Washington, DC, call Service Doctors today!

Let’s review some of the most common noises with their corresponding causes:

Hissing. Depending on where it is, hissing often indicates a very small leak. In general, the sound of hissing requires pressure and two common places that may develop hissing leaks are your refrigerant coils and the ductwork. Your outdoor compressor unit pressurizes the refrigerant and circulates it through the expansion valve, evaporator coils, and condenser coils. The coils can often be intricate and, while often well protected, they are subject to the same wear and tear as other parts of the system. Ducts are often subject to physical damage, from other nearby construction projects, or by loose connections, which can lead to twisting and crimping.

Buzzing. Excessive buzzing is often the result of an electrical problem, perhaps from a circuit overload, or damaged wiring. If you think your outdoor or indoor unit is buzzing, this can be hazardous and dangerous.

Squealing. The air handler that blows cool air into your duct system relies on the operation of your blower motor, which has a fan belt. This belt connects to the fan blades, and when it becomes worn or damaged, it can begin to squeal, not unlike the fan belt that operates the radiator in your car.